AIR STATION CAPE COD – A new Coast Guard propeller plane made an emergency landing this morning at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod after an apparent equipment malfunction, a spokesman said.

The incident happened shortly after takeoff, said Lt. Daniel Cloonan, public affairs officer.

The pilot was alerted to a light that showed an “unsafe gear retraction” and went through emergency procedures over the base runway, he said. The procedure called for the aircraft to extend its emergency landing gear, release hydraulic fluid and then land, he said.

“The pilot made an uneventful emergency landing,” Cloonan said.

The plane was an HC-144 Ocean Sentry, which started flying missions at the base on Tuesday, according to a Coast Guard press release.

The aircraft replaces Falcon jets, which had been used in the Guard's rescue and law enforcement missions.